It is always a sign of a great musician when it is truly difficult to find anything to compare one’s product to. This is certainly the case of New Jersey musician Donald Jason Shepherd, better known as Face Plant.

The still young, yet rapidly developing producer has cultivated a delightfully crisp and original style, driven largely in part by thoroughly developed melodic undertones. However, the all-around complexities of each piece of production by Shepherd is what makes his work so commendable. Never relying on preset sounds, instead developing irrefutably authentic sound design elements, is obviously a great starting point. Yet, the additions of frequent live guitar and a juxtaposition of equally refined, psychedelic, glitch-inspired treble and mid-range elements, are no less important.

Face Plant’s latest product, the Stereo Chemistry EP, is not only aptly named, but also equally well-constructed. Its opening track, “Chromosphere”, sets the stage for this entire release in exceptional fashion. At first introducing an astutely constructed melody, comprised of distinctively original sound components, the track falls victim ultimately to crashing waves of psychedelic bass through muddled glitch perspective. The entire Stereo Chemistry EP follows in this suit, juxtaposing two very different spectrums of sound with seemingly complete ease. A specific commendation also seems definitively in order for the goopy and slimy collaborative track, “Rheology”, conceived alongside fellow New Jersey producer Alpha Cortex.